Tip of the Day

Try to control your negative emotions when you ride. Horses are herd animals which means that they look out for each other. Which means that it is their nature to pay attention to the emotions of each other. So when you are nervous or afraid then they pick up on that and get nervous because they don't know what is making you nervous, they think there is a boogie man hiding somewhere that they can't see. Even if you are just afraid of going to a higher gait because you don't know what your horse is going to do, all your horse knows is that you are nervous and your body is tense on them. Be sure to remain calm and don't tense up because that also makes it harder for them to carry you. Imagine giving someone a piggy back ride and all of the sudden their body gets stiff, it would be harder to carry them right!? It is the same for horses carrying you.

Tip of the Day

Always think about what you wear when you are around horses. Make sure that nothing that you have on will get caught to anything on your horse to easily. If your horse spooks or starts bucking then you get caught on something and the situation is much worse than it would have been otherwise. Now instead of falling off and being a little sore on the ground you are stuck to the side of a bucking horse. Also be sure that you wear the proper footwear. Horses are very big and even if they don't mean to step on you things can happen. That results in a bad foot injury that could have been (at least mostly) avoided. And helmets may look dorky but I promise that you won't regret wearing one when it saves your life. 

Tip of the Day

If you horse is going strong on the forehand or is lazy, you might want to try leaning back a little with your shoulders behind the perpendicular. This will make your seat stronger (as long as your legs stay in the correct position) and push your horse forward into better movement. But Beware... don't overdo this as it may put strain on your horses back.

Tip of the Day

Keep your heels down. Because not only does it make you more secure, but it also stops your foot from being caught in the stirrup should the horse spook. This is another safety thing that will help prevent you from being stuck to the side of a bucking horse. It also helps to align your body to be where it is supposed to be.

Tip of the Day

Tip #1: When asking to lope, tip their nose to the outside, or "cut off" the leg that is not supposed to lead. this will make sure they pick up the proper lead!